1

account, greatly tended to shorten his days. It was his last requeft that I would make oyer to you the fortune of which you had been cruelly deprived, and I have from the time of his death earnestly with ed to carry his dying defires into execution; verbal ones, indeed, as he was in too weak a state to make any manual alterations in his will; but as I look upon fuch defires in fuch circumstances facred, I fhall with the fincereft fatisfaction with the fum which you - invest you fhould have enjoyed on your father's deceafe, and from which you have been fo long, fo unjustly deprived.

28

poffeffor of the inftrument. making
his
and dragging
up to it through the midst of the
performers,
daughter Augusta after him, faid
"Who can be fo proper to play on
it, as her to whom it belongs?"

To whom it belongs! faid Mr.
it is no matter to whom
Strum;
it belongs: fhe who plays best up-
on it, has the beft right; and Mifs
Seewell, to my knowledge, reads
mufic as fast as any bod v.

6.

To this fpeech Mr. Dripping re plied in the following manner with a ftrong fneer. Reading has nothing to do with the mufic, playing it is, I think, the chief affair and my daughter shall play thoroughbafs with any body in the kingdom."

;

Mrs. Simplon then stretching out her hand, with a fmile, in order to affift the amiable beggar in rifing from his fear, and conducted him to her houfe, which was not at a great distance from that fpot, and by a feries of the most pleafing attention, gave his declining life all the feli. city of which it was capable. By those attentions he was enabled to enjoy all the happiness to which his powers of enjoyment were equal, during his declining days, and when he found himself fast approaching "that bourne from which no traveller returns," defired the restoration of what he had received from the hands of Juftice, ftrongly required from him as a man of honour and as a Christian.

THE MATRON.
By Mrs. GREY.

During this little altercation, Mifs Seewell, under the protection of Mr. Strum, had brushed by Mifs Dripping, and feated herfelf at the piano, and began to frike the keys in fo forcible a manner, with fo violent a preffure, that nothing but the wood of which the inftru ment was made, could be heard, and the clatter founded more like the tones produced by wooden spoons and falt-boxes, than thofe which arofe from wire melodized by a masterly hand.

Mifs Dripping, dreadfully hurt at feeing herself deprived of the pleasure of exhibiting her knowledge in mufic, retired with a look of contempt at her rival, telling her father in a whitper, he was afraid Mifs Seewell would crack the piano, as flie banged it with fuch violence.

NUMBER CCXXII.
NOW refume the fubject begun
I
in my last Number, and mean
account of the
to continue my

harmonical meeting at my good friend
Hedges's.

I left them contending for places
at the piano, Mr, Dripping the

Mr. Dripping then acquainted Mr. Hedges with his daughter's to expire with mirth at the concert, apprehenfions, while he, ready even aflured him that Mils Dripping fhould play the next piece.

"La! cried that young lady, in a tone expreffive of terror, the will break it all to pieces in the very

firit

first movement; befides, it muftt themselves into motion, though be quite out of tune."

LC

My dear madam," replied Mr. Hedges, "What can I do? I invited every body, whom I knew to be mufical, hoping for nothing but harmony; I, therefore, mutt leave it to yourselves to fettle thefe nice points. I wifh, however, matters may be fo accommodated, that they may not end in difcord."

every one of them affected to decline what they were dying with delire to do; and fo much time was by this means loft, that Mr. Hedges bade the young farmer begin and fet the ladies a good example. He chearfully ftood up, Mr. Scrapeill and Mr. Strum immediately arranged themselves on cach fide of him, in order to accompany him: upon which he modeftly obferved, that he could not fing to the notes. "No, that you will not, I'l anfwer for it," faid Mr. Gallipot: however they bade him have courage, as they would play soft, and would be of great fervice to him. He then began Poor Jack, which he would have executed with much expreffion and fome tale, had not his affiftants, by playing the fymphony in the wrong place. fo contound

ed in alt; the French born, when-ed him, that after having in vain

66

endeavoured to compose them, he
gave it up to the no fmall regret
of the company, who all began to
vociferate in a chorus. Upon this,
the clerk of the parish propofed
catches and glers.
All in good
time," faid Mr. Hedges, winking
at me, we must give place to
the ladies." He then brought for-
ward Mifs Twang, who had difco-
vered great impatience to distin.
guith herfelf upon an inftrument,
not in the leaft common. Accord
ingly the ftruck up an air in
which Meffieurs Scrapeill and Strum
would join, though totally unac-
quainted with the notes, which
were read by the former, in a very
bad manner, and of which the
latter was extremely ignorant, fo
that the lady declared they put her
quite out, and begged to play it
alone. They failed at her folly,
but were obliged to listen to a
tedious piece il compofet, and
worfe played. As foon as that
was ended, the clerk propofed Time
has not thinn'd my flowing bair
Mr.

The Drippings being thus forced to give way, fat down in the fullens, whilst the performers were fixing on the proper mufic. One could not play this piece, another detefted that; at last one of Handel's overtures was begun. Mr. Scrapeill kept time by flamping furioully upon the floor, keeping his eyes fixed upon the violencello, who kipped over more notes than he founded. The tenor was wholly out of tune; the bautboy fqueak

ever it was blown, brought them into a little order again; till a fine folo paffage in the piano, accompanied by Mr, Strum, with his fingers on the ftrings of his fiddle, put the lady fo much out, that the gallopped away, helter fkelter, over the keys, fo rapidly, that the threw the whole band into confufion. Mr. Scrapeill stopped on a fudden, declaring that nobody knew any thing about time, that it was impoffible to keep fuch players together, while the flute-performer, who was a little deaf, continued his part, without knowing that any of the others had topped. The audience who had been talking in different parties, as fast as they could, of the different occurences of the village, ftarting at the ceffation of the found, afked if the concert was over. Mr. Hedges, ready to burst with laughter, which he ftrove to fupprefs, faid, with a pleafant fmile, that after the first piece, they fhould give us a fong. Immediately, all the miffes in the room

Mr. Dripping exclaimed, "My daughter fings that there fong charmingly." Upon which the clapped herfelf down to the piane, and began to throw out her tones; but the clerk, who had been, when he was a boy, a choritter in a cathedral, had acquired fuch a rural mode of intonation, that he appeared more like a chanter than a finger: and reminded us more of the refpoufes in the Litany, than of the feitivity of a glee. The voice of our female was fo cracked, that in the high notes it was quite loft; the was, indeed, both out of time, and out of tune. The clerk, very much hurt, by being thus difappointed, as he could not exhibit his talents to advantage, feverely execiated the lady for preventing his fong: he, therefore, propofed

"No, indeed, madam, not I; but
if he or fhe articulate no clearer
than the general run of fingers, I
would not give a farthing to hear
them. Hoy merrily we live, was
then begun, and ended moft de-
plorably; for every body was at
a lofs, and, inftead of keeping their
own parts, fung that belonging to
their companions. All the fingers
and inftruments were truly in an up-
roar. My arch triend, Mr. Hedges
laughed till he cried. Several
pieces were then played, much in
the fame ludicrous tyle with the
reft. The clerk, who was a jolly
old fellow, made a propofal, at last,
that the concert fhould conclude
with Old Rofe, and burn the Bellows,
in which, he fail, they might all
join, if they would keep to their
refpective parts, and mind what
they were about: but he began that

ever, being deemed of too difimal
a cait, glees were offered in its
room. The male and female fingers
immediately ranged themselves
round the piano. Mifs Dripping,
however, kept her feat, though
Mifs Seewell made feveral attempts
to difplace her. Mr. Scrapeill
took up a violin, and Mr. Strum
his inftrument: the hautboy, flute,
and french-horn all began to tune
away, when the clerk propofed
How merrily we live that foldiers be,
**fay Shepherds," cries out Mr.
Scrapeill; that was the original
word.""May be fo," replied the
clerk, but that word is not in my
book, and foldiers is certainly bet-
ter, as we have fo many accom
paniments." "I am fure it is no
inatter," faid Mr. Gallipot, "what
the words are, for they are alway's
hurried over in fuch a manner,
that we cannot tell even the lan-
guage, and I never know whether
a lady fings Italian or English."
I prefume, then, fir," faid Mifs
Twang,
66 you have never been in
London, nor heard the Mara."

Old Robin Grey; that fong, how-joyous catch with fo much folem-
nity, and proceeded so much in the
pfalm finging way, and roaring
fonoroufly, that all the other voices
in the room were drowned by his
vocal exertions. No creature was
heard diftinctly but himself, and
Mr. Strum, who dropping in his
notes not unlike a paffing-bell, gave
a heaviness to the whole perform
ance, while the others, being
thrown out of their line of melody,
threw down their arms and ex-
claimed "enough, enough! no
more, no more." Mr Hedges
looking upon thefe cxclamations
as fignals for fupper, he flung
open the doors of the great parlour,
in which his friendly table was
covered in the most hofpitable and
plentiful manner.
After fupper
fome fingle fongs from the ladies,
were attempted, but few of the
performers, or indeed, any of the
company, had patience fufficient to
liften to them. Nothing, in truth,
can be more tirefome than a tedious
ballad, containing feveral verfes,
articulated in a dull, drowfy tune,
and that tune repeated till the car is

ver and over again. A chorus then propofed, and nothing, inly, could be fo proper as God fave great George our King, in which we all joined, with our ices and our hearts. With this ares our harmonic meeting was ncluded. The houfe was then eared of the guests: while I was iting to my apartment," Ma,"faid my friend Hedges "did I tell you that I would divert ou with a concert? Pray publifh account of it in your ufual manence er, and I devoutly with that the cordant tones and tunes of this ening may prevent every little fman from having his daughter ht to mifpend thofe hours hich ought to be much better mployed, than in tinkling an inriment, and in tormenting the

quite farfeited with the fame founds | Hortenfia, it was merely on the notion of its being the beat corrector of the acidities of human milk, and not with the view of bringing them up to be devourers of animal fubftances. No-the cruel neceffity which our wants impofe on us, to inflict that fate on other beings, which would be terrible to our felves, is an evil of fufficient weight, were the use of animal diet confined within as moderate limits as te prefent ftate of things will admit. I can from my own experiaffirm with Rouffeau, that the taste of flesh is not natural to the human palate, when not vitiated by carnivorous habits. Milk, fruit, eggs, and almost every kind of vegetable aliment, ought to be the principal part of the nourishment of children.

of all who are fo unfortunate A be within the hearing of her. Let it be alfo a leffon to thofe in the ughest rank of life, that they may ver attempt to play or fing, when hey have no genius or power for nufical expreffion, for they alfo may amuse themselves more advanageoufly, and make themselves

I would not feed them with flesh above three times a week, and that well roafted and boiled. The swallowing blood, almost in its natural ftate, fills a delicate mind with hor ror. It is a diet only fit for favages; and muft naturally tend to weaken that fympathy which nature hast given to man, as the best guard against the abufe of the extenfive thufeful and agreeable by pur-power with which she has entrusted ting only thofe arts and fciences for hich they have a real tale, and which their powers are naturally irected. Mufic is a moft enchantg fcience, and productive of the gheft entertainment, when thofe tho have fine voices, correct ears, adftrong feelings, are engaged in e ftudy of it; but the majority f amateurs, and indeed fome proflors too, in their mufical purrs, only miftake their talents, fpend their time, and render themIves egregioully ridiculous.

the Ufe of Animal Food, and Sugar. By Mrs. C. M. GRAHAM.

THEN I recommended the ufe of gravy for fucking infants,

him.

It is, I believe, generally agreed by all the medical profeffion, that the flesh of well-grown animals, is caher of digeftion than the flesh of young ones; and it affords a more generous nourishment; a fmaller quantity of the one, will anfwer the fame purposes as a larger quantity of the other. It will then be proper for the tutor to take especial care that the flesh of young animals be banished from the table of his pupils. Their conftitution will receive advantage from it; and the ratte they will thus acquire be more agreeable to the principles of benevolence, in forbearing to defiroy life, almost in the first moments of exilence.

Sugar,

Sugar, From its acid qualities, and the oppreffion which any large quantity of it gives to a ftomach not ufed by continual habit to this aliment, has lately been very generally banished out of the diet of children. Sugar plumbs, fweet cakes, and other enticing viands of the fame kind, with which we used to engage the affections, of the little gluttons, are now prohibited, as injurious ways of carrying our points with them; and a variety of other means are fallen upon to en. gage the infantine imagination. But though I am entirely of Mr. Locke's opinion, that we ought not to infame the natural propenfity of

children to gluttony, into an habi-ORIGINAL LETT

of the SPECTATOR.

tual vice, by pleafing their palates as a reward to their obedience; yet'| I am far from thinking that fugar fhould be entirely left out of the diet of children. Sugar has very valuable medical properties. It is antiputrefcent in a high degree, and will agree with all ftomachs when they are used to it. It has fufficient warmth to correct the coldnes of raw fruit, and it has a fufficient dimulating quality to make up for the ufe of fermented liquors, which never ought to be given to children; befides, every taste that is fo general as the love which children have to fweet viands, fhould be attended

others; they should not hour in forming their tafte manners, and their mind; for ever they are, to a certain at eighteen, they will be m lefs all the rest of their lives.

Though juftice is not fo cofts a great deal, and one n very rich to obtain it.

A man greater than his n tunes, fhews he was not def of them:

Ceremony is the affectati good breeding, as cunning ape of wifdom:

SIR,

'A'

MONG fome papers of a tleman of great literary lately deceafed, I found the fo ing, which is in the Spectator, iv. No. 274. It is there faid verbatim a copy of a letter w by thofe infamous wretches, c procurefies, to a noble lord. is not a literal copy, for the fpe is corrected and fome part altere you may perceive, by comp: this with the printed copy.

I thought it might be accept to you to enrich your Magazine a literal copy of this elegant ceau, with the original spelling, the name of the writer, which bably the Spectator might not t it proper, at that time, to publi

"My Lord,

J

I haveing a great esteem for bonnor, and a better opinon of then of any of the quilit, makes acquaint you of an affaire that 11 will oblige you to know, I ha neece yt came to towen about a f night agoe, her parrants being l dead he came to me exceping found me in for good a condifhion